Bridge-score recorder



March 8, 1927'. 1,620,077

c. A. COOKE BRIDGE SCORE RECORDER Filed June 18, l926 gvvuanioz PatentedMar. 8, 1927.

UNITED STATES- CHARLES A. COOKE, 0F SIOUX CITY, IOWA.

BRIDGE-SCORE RECORDER.

Application filed June 18,

My invention relates to a device for recording bridge scores, and it ismy object to provide such a device embodying a casing having sightopenings and means operable from the outside of the casing forpresenting to view, beneath said sight openings, a movable tape, havinginscribed thereon characters representing consecutively increasingscores.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a device in whichthe movable tapes are mounted upon removable spools and are replaceable.

Another object is to provide such a device which is of simple, durableand inexpensive construction.

A still further object is to provide means for maintaining the portionsof the tapes to be exposed in proper position before the sight openings,

lVith these and other objects in view, my invention consists in theconstruction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of mydevice. whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinaftermore fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the device, portions being broken away toillustrate the in terior construction thereof.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view, talren on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1,the tapes being omitted.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view, taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1,and a Fig. 4c is a detail longitudinal sectional view, taken asindicated by the line H of Fig. 1.

I have used the reference character 10 to indicate the bottom of thecasing, which comprises two compartments, A and B (see Fig. 2), formedbetween the sides, 11, the ends, 12, the partition, 13, and the bottom,10.

A cover, 1 1, is hinged at 15 to the casing and retained by a suitablecatch such as the catch shown at 16.

In the cover are two rows of sight openings, 17, closed by transparentwindows, 18, and aligned over the respective compartments, A and B.Under each window is positioned a pair of spools, 19 and 20, connectedby a tape, 21. which is wound around the respective spools, and the endsof which are received in slots, 22, in the spools.

1926. Serial No. 116,838.

The spools are provided with flanges, 23, which rest aga nst the bottom,10, of the casing.

Each spool has a shaft, 2%, which extends through a slot, 25, in theside, 11, at one end, and at its other end is received in a notch, 26.formed in a member secured to the partition, such as the bar, 27. Thenotches, 26, are shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3.

The ends of the shafts, 24, which extend through the slots, 25, are helddownwardly by a latch bar, 28, pivoted at 29 to the side, 11, and lockedin its retaining position by a spring keeper, 30 (see Fig. 1). The latchbar, 28, has notches, 31, similar to the notches, 26, and each of thenotches, 26 and .31, are of. such width as to allow slight movement ofthe shafts, 24, toward and away from each other.

The pairs of notches are so positioned as to allow the flanges, 23, ofthe respective pairs of spools to engage each other, as shown.

The connecting portions of the tapes are extended upwardly over guiderods, 32, whichare received in slots, 33 and 34, in the sides. 11, andpartition, 13. respectively, and which may be removed by simply liftingthe cover, 1-1, and sliding them longitudinallv.

Each of the tapes contains indicia, 35, corresponding to consecutivelyincreasing bridge scores, and'the shafts, 21, are provided With handlesor projecting portions, 36, by means of which the spools may be rotatedmanually in either direction so as to bring any desired character, 35,before the sight opening.

It is desirable that the portion of the tape between the guides, 32, bekept taut in order that the numbers may be clearly visible through thewindow, 18. To this end, the notches, 31 and 26, have been formed toallow slight play between the shafts which they receive, whereby thetension produced in the tape by rotating one of the spools will tend todraw the other spool toward it and to cause the peripheries of theflanges, 23, to frictionally engage each other. Since the rotation ofthe spools must be in the same direction in order to allow the tape tomove from one to the other, this frictional engagement will oppose themovement of the spool which is being unwound, and will thereby maintainthe intermediate portion of the tape in a taut position.

I have shown as a preferred form of the invention a recorder having tworows of indicators, each row comprising four indicating devices. One rowof indicators will tally the score of one side of a bridge game, and theother will tally the score for the other side. The first indicator ineach row will be used to tally the honor scores, the second indicator totally the game scores, the third indicator to tally the totals of thetwo in individual rubbers, and the fourth to tally the totals of therubbers.

I claim 1. In a device of the class described, a casing having acompartment formed between two walls, a pair of spools mounted betweensaid Walls and movable a limited distance toward and from the top of thecasing, said spools having fiangesin frictional engagement with eachother and being connected by a Web, one of the spools being providedwith means for imparting rotation thereto and the other spool beingdriven by the connecting web in such a direction that the frictionalengagement of said flanges will retard the rotation of said other spoolto maintain the web taut.

2. In a device of the class described, a cas ing having sides, a pair ofspools within the casing, a tape wound on said spools and having aportion extending from one spool to the other, a member supporting saidextended portion at a distance above the spools,

said spools having flanges engaging each- CHARLES A. COOKJC.

